Right from its inception, Twitter has been considered as a platform where brands can express themselves freely.
With the limit of 280 characters, it gives several top brands the avenue to present their product with a short and precise message that will remain indispensable - if done in the right manner.
Since 6000 tweets happen every second on an average, you won't be able to reach a lot of audiences just by adding a few hashtags or sending occasional tweets.
The average brand engagement rate on Twitter is only 0.045%. Still, above half of the social media marketers consider Twitter one of the best platforms for social engagement. But why is that so?
Because Twitter is the only social network where brands & consumers have an even playing field & unrestricted lines of clear, concise communication.
One of the best keys to the success of tweets is understanding how the Twitter algorithm works and how you can master it to increase your reach, which is what we will talk about in this post. That being said, let's now kick things off and jump into the good stuff.
Here's our itinerary for the day:
- Twitter Algorithm In 2021
- Twitter Algorithm Hacks - What Not To Do?
- Twitter Algorithm Hacks - What To Do?
You can directly jump to a section of your choice or keep scrolling.
Twitter Algorithm In 2021
When news of change in the Twitter algorithm broke on February 5th that Twitter is planning to introduce a reordered timeline, the internet became apoplectic. #RIPTwitter hashtag trended for over 24 hours, prompting Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey to respond.
Once the dust settled, though, and the new algorithm rolled out in the weeks that followed, most people discovered that the new Twitter timeline really wasn't that different.
Twitter keeps making alterations to its algorithm to ensure that the right content reaches the right people. Ultimately, they aim to boost their engagement rates and keep as many users as possible log in regularly.
Twitter Algorithm Ranking Signals
Twitter, which earlier displayed content in chronological order, now uses a mix of real-time and algorithmic content to design a user's feed. Here's what it looks for in content to decide if it's appropriate to be shown in a user's feed or not.
Every time you open the Twitter app, its algorithm studies all the tweets from accounts you follow and gives each of them a relevance score based on several ranking signals such as:
1. Recency
How recently was the tweet published?
2. Relevancy
How relevant are the keywords used in the tweet?
How many people are engaging with the same keywords used by other creators?
3. Engagement
How many likes, comments, and retweets the tweet has received?
How many users are engaging with other tweets of the same user?
How many users regularly connect with the tweet author?
4. Graphics
The type of graphics used in a tweet (GIF, images, videos, polls, or plain text tweet)
The type of graphic with which most of the users interact.
5. Other Factors
The number of followers of the account.
The location of the account relative to the other users.
The Composition Of A Twitter Timeline
An important aspect that helps increase your Twitter reach strategy is the composition of a user's timeline. Your Twitter timeline looks like this:
Top-ranked Tweets
The Twitter algorithm selects the tweets you are most likely to engage with.
ICYMI (in case you missed it)
Tweets are shown from accounts you have engaged with in the past and if they tweeted something interesting while you were away. In the ICYMI section, Twitter shows all the tweets it finds essential, no matter when they were posted.
The longer time you spend on the app, the fewer tweets you will see in this section.
Reverse Chronological Order Tweets
A reverse-chronological timeline is where your normal Twitter feed starts. You will see the newest tweets from your following first.
Image Source: Mashable
Happening Now
Shows the latest events and topics relevant to your activity.
Feel the roar of the crowd, no matter where you are.
— Twitter (@Twitter) October 10, 2017
We're rolling out a new way to see what's happening now, starting with sports in 🇺🇸! Available on Android and iOS starting today. https://t.co/lmBFCK4DG0 pic.twitter.com/cv4wL8hCxA
Trends For You
Shows the trending tweets of the industry you follow the most. The Twitter trending algorithm includes trending hashtags and popular patterns based on your interests.
Twitter Algorithm Hacks - What Not To Do?
While there is tons of info spread across the internet asking what you should be doing to turn the Twitter algorithm in your favor, here are the three things you should not be doing at any cost, no matter how lucrative they seem.
1. Buying Followers
There is no overnight success in this universe, even in the social media space. It might take time to build up your Twitter following organically, but in the end, it's totally worth your efforts.
On the other hand, buying followers just for the sake of increasing follower count and engagement in a short span of time is a waste of both your time and money.
You might build a large following, but those will not be interested in what you tweet every day, and hence they might not engage with your content. Your engagement rate will be near zero. Even if you get a few engagements, it will add zero value to your content. Your comments section might be filled with spam & gibberish comments.
Well, this does not end here, though. It will become evident to many others that your followers are purchased, and they will avoid you like the plague. And this will add to declining your organic reach on Twitter.
2. Following-for-follow: We'll Follow You Only If You Follow Us Back
In 2021, people have become way smarter.
Accounts that engage in the notion of "I-help-you-so-you-help-me" just to play with the number of followers have absolutely zero interest in what you have to say, let alone how you would meet your social marketing goals. It's just embarrassing and gives an overall bad look to your profile and brand as a whole.
3. Incentivizing People Just To Follow You
If you incentivize people to follow you via contests/giveaways, you will likely find that your the following quality and engagement will soon go down. Remember, this will just be a one-off thing and should never be your primary Twitter marketing strategy.
Anything is possible on social media.
It's possible to have a big follower count & still no real audience. And it's also possible to have an authentic audience with a pretty low follower count.
Twitter Algorithm Hacks - What To Do?
To play with the Twitter algorithm and make it work in your favor, you will have to know its ins and outs. Your overall presence on Twitter is more important than the performance of separate tweets for the Twitter algorithm.
How often do you tweet? What's the average engagement rate of all your tweets? How many impressions do they generate? Those and many more are all essential factors when it comes to the Twitter algorithm, and ultimately, your Twitter reach.
To build a robust Twitter presence and increase the reach of your tweets, you need to follow Twitter algorithm hacks & etiquette that help you to engage with your audience.
But exactly how should you do that? Let's get to the bottom of it!
Twitter Algorithm Hack #1: Get Hold Of Your Niche
Twitter isn't just a monolithic platform. Instead, it comprises numerous pockets of communities around specific niches. Hence start your Twitter journey by selecting your niche.
Where do your knowledge, skills, and experiences lie that can land you in the top-5% of the world? If you want people to follow you and read your tweets, you will have to offer something unique and different from the herd to get them interested.
However, you need not select a niche that only interests you. You should also see if it's a profitable niche and has a good audience base. Don't select non-monetizable niches.
Twitter Algorithm Hack #2: Optimize Your Twitter Profile
A well-polished Twitter profile will leave a good impression on your audience. On the contrary, if you leave out important info or put a half-baked bio on your Twitter profile, it could easily turn off your audience. The goal is to make your profile impressive enough to compel people to follow you.
To begin with, add a profile picture for your brand. Consider adding a professional image or your easily recognizable brand logo as your Twitter profile picture.
Also, add a visually appealing header photo for your profile. This will help to grab your audience's attention and inform them well about your brand. Use the header photo to draw attention to your running campaigns.
Next, optimize your Twitter bio that is 160-character long. Use this space smartly to introduce your brand to your audience and add links to your website. Craft a compelling bio for your brand to hook your audience.
Remember, your Twitter bio should be easily searchable. So ensure to make it SEO-friendly by adding relevant keywords and hashtags to your profile.
Image Source: Statusbrew Twitter
Twitter Algorithm Hack #3: Speak Your Audiences' Language
Before you tweet, consider the terms and labels that your target audience uses on Twitter. The idea over here is to mingle into a meaningful conversation with your target audience. And for that, you will have to observe every single aspect of your target audience, be it in terms of their interest or language.
Frame your strategies and content around your target audience's tongue, making it easy for them to understand and reply with comments or retweets.
Google Trends comes in handy when it comes to localizing your language. For instance, the term "cookie law" is more frequently used to refer to the new law that came into force in 2011 in the United Kingdom instead of "cookie regulations" or "privacy law."
Hence, if you tweet about this incident, it's best to use the phrase "cookie law" to resonate with your followers.
Image Source: Pringles Twitter
Twitter Algorithm Hack #4: Tweet Industry Related News
Most people use Twitter as a source of news. Therefore, if you can provide hot and trending news to people daily, they will follow you. Whenever you have some breaking news story related to your industry, tweet it on your profile with a clever spin.
You can also attend industry events and tweet as and when the proceedings at the event happen. This will help in establishing yourself as a trusted voice within your industry. And, if you are unable to attend the event, find a discussion taking place on Twitter about the event and join the conversation. This will definitely increase your account's visibility and reach.
Image Source: Bonilla Law Firm Twitter
Twitter Algorithm Hack #5: Leave Room For Retweets
How often do you cancel a retweet just because you are unable to fit your comment into the retweet message? Well, we bet it's happened a lot many times.
People usually tend to add a short opinion in their retweets, something like "Solid point" or "Good read." If you use all 280 characters in your tweet, your followers will have to edit your tweets before they can add in theirs and retweet.
And that's not a cool option. Because people are lazy, tweets that require extensive editing work get fewer retweets. Ideally, you should limit your tweets to 70 and 110 characters to get the most retweets. Studies have also found that tweets that are shorter than 100 characters get 17% higher engagement.
Image Source: Twitter
Twitter Algorithm Hack #6: Tweet The Highest Retweeted Tweets
The tweets having a good number of retweets are the ones that people mostly like. In most cases, such tweets are already optimized for the Twitter algorithm. The reason why it has got a high number of retweets is that it provides good enough value to the audience, and a lot of people resonate with what's tweeted.
If you retweet such a highly valued tweet, your followers can view that tweet in case they missed it out among dozens of others. In that case, you might also get engagement because of that tweet. So, always make a point to find the tweets with the highest number of retweets that can help you to grow your audience as well.
Through retweeting, both you and the tweet owner get benefits because of that particular tweet.
Twitter Algorithm Hack #7: Use Twitter Threads
Threads are the sure-shot formula to hack the Twitter algorithm these days. Several new creators use Twitter threads, and they have seen a massive increase in their post-engagement in a short time.
The Twitter algorithm always pushes new trends on the platform, and followers love to see stuff being used on the platform. In threads, people are allowed to share a topic in more depth so that their followers get everything in one place.
When creators help the audience, they start following them for more information. You should find a sweet spot of your content that both the Twitter algorithm and people like and hit the ball out of the park.
Image Source: Twitter
Twitter Algorithm Hack #8: Tweet Links
Twitter has become a hub for people looking for news updates. Multiple studies show that news updates & instructional posts are two types of content people retweet the most.
However, the social media world works differently as a whole. The news only from a reliable source is considered a real-life update; otherwise, it becomes more of a rumor.
To provide substance in your tweet, it's better to link the source of news. Make sure the source you provide is also a reputed one; otherwise, it's more likely to fall into the category of a rumor.
As a matter of fact, Microsoft Research's Conversational Aspects of Retweeting on Twitter discovered that 52% of the retweet samples contained a URL.
So, the next time when you wish your news tweets to be retweeted, embed a link into it.
Twitter Algorithm Hack #9: Timely Tweets Will Take You Far
Content is key. But unless you are consistently putting out tweets on the platform, you won't be able to reach your audiences.
Unlike most other social networks, you need to tweet somewhere between 2-7 times a day on Twitter to get good enough reach and generate engagement. Despite a 280 character limit, you can share a variety of content on the platform.
You can share product tweets, brand updates, essential trends, resourceful articles, and other such content that will interest your target audiences.
Twitter Algorithm Hack #10: Post When Your Audience Is Most Active
This one's a no-brainer. The best way to hack Twitter algorithms and get more people to see your content is by posting it when your target audience is most active on the platform.
For that, you need to consider several factors like the industry you operate in, your audience demographics, and time zones. Once you have the best time to post on Twitter, you can build a content marketing strategy around it and schedule your tweets at peak hours.
Tweeting consistently when your audience is awake and active gets your content across to a maximum number of people. If your audience resonates well with your content, they will likely be compelled to follow you.
Want to know your best time to post on Twitter? Don't worry; Statusbrew. will prepare a heat map customized for your profile. Not just that, with several ready-to-use templates, you can get heat maps suitable to your requirement on the best time to post for likes, comments on an hourly or daily basis.
Know more about Best Time To Post On Twitter
Know when your followers remain most active using Statusbrew's Reports Lab feature
Twitter Algorithm Hack #11: Engage Actively With Your Audience
To build a meaningful connection with your audience, get them to engage with your brand. But, how exactly do you engage with your audience?
Apart from posting content that compels your audience to interact with your brand, retweet your followers' content to bring value to your target audience.
Respond to all the comments you receive on your tweet. Also, respond to tweets in which your handle is tagged to build a rapport with the audience.
Statusbrew's engage inbox unifies all conversations from several profiles, thus making it easier for you to respond to all conversations and tweets from a single dashboard.
Twitter Algorithm Hack #12: Hop-On To Twitter Trends & Use Hashtags
Hashtags are an excellent way to get discovered on Twitter. When it comes to using hashtags on Twitter, you should know that tweets with hashtags get 2X more engagement. It is also recommended to stick to a maximum of 2 hashtags for every Tweet.
Get to know all the top hashtags and keywords that are widely being talked about on the platform. Take cues from these hashtags and keywords to create new content.
When you create content using trending hashtags, Twitter indexes it amongst other tweets using the same hashtags. And since it is trending, people are already looking at tweets that use the said hashtag. This ultimately increases your chances of getting discovered and growing your follower count.
Statusbrew offers hashtag insights that help to measure the performance of your most engaged hashtags. Your hashtags report will give the total post count and average metrics data such as clicks, comments, engagement, etc., for a specific hashtag on a particular post in a profile, allowing you to dig deep into the performance of each hashtag used.
Twitter Algorithm Hack #13: Post Video Content
Video content has become the most engaging content type on social platforms today. Video content is powerful enough to gather and hold your audience's attention.
The right mix of different content formats is the key to gaining traction. So you must inculcate video as a part of your content strategy on Twitter.
Share your brand story, showcase products, or simply introduce your team to your audience using Twitter videos. Let your creative juices flow into leveraging videos and winning new followers on Twitter.
Have a break with KITKAT Chunky Peanut Butter! Your favourite break, with a bit more bite! 🍫🥜 #KITKATChunkyBreak pic.twitter.com/WuK7qgrRxy
— KITKAT (@KITKAT) October 3, 2021
Twitter Algorithm Hack #14: Use The Good Old Twitter Ads & Promotion
Promoting your Twitter account through ads is an effective way to increase the visibility of your profile and gain more followers. The different ways to advertise your Twitter account include official Twitter ads, sponsored tweets, and crowd marketing.
Know more about The Ultimate Guide To Twitter Ads
Twitter Algorithm Hack #15: Monitor & Benchmark Performance Against Competitors
Monitoring your competitors on Twitter will help you build a well-informed content strategy around your niche landscape.
Gain a competitive edge by benchmarking your performance against that of your competitors. Use a tracking tool that helps you get hold of your competitors' strengths and weaknesses.
Regularly track your competitor's activity and learn from their tactics and strategies. See which of your competitors are gaining traction on Twitter and what they are doing that is helping them generate traction.
These insights will help you identify ways in which you can expand your influence on the platform.
Twitter Algorithm Hack #16: Analyze Your Twitter Performance
Jump into essential data associated with your Twitter performance and build a more effective strategy for your brand.
Using a reliable social analytics tool, you can dig deeper into relevant KPIs for the platform. Know how your content is performing in terms of engagement and reach. Scan these data for your account to identify what's working for your brand and what's not. Based on these insights, build a concrete Twitter growth strategy for your brand.
To analyze your Twitter performance, you should choose a tool that allows you to measure rich industry insights. The task does not end just by extracting rich metrics; you should be able to present the data in an easily visualizable format that would make your decision-making process more manageable.
Statusbrew provides all of these features under one roof. And you don't need to shift to different platforms to measure data and schedule tweets. All of this happens in just one dashboard within a matter of clicks. Just link your profiles and get started!
Have further questions or are confused about whether to link your profiles or not? Book a free demo today, and we are here to assist!
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